Images of times past

Thanks to everyone who took part in the recent photographic survey of Athy. Cataloguing of the photos handed in will commence shortly but in the meantime there is an opportunity for anyone who still has photos to give them into the Heritage Centre.

Photographic images provide an exciting and accurate record of moments in time! As old photographs become available they give a rare insight into often long forgotten times. Images of Athy in the past can be expected to be found in almost every corner of the world, in any place where Athy men and women have settled. Such a place is America, from where a number of photographs of Athy and Athy folk in the 1940s and early 1950s came back to the town, courtesy of Joseph Carbery. Now living in Stoneypoint, New York, Joe, whose family lived at No. 20 St. Patrick’s Avenue, emigrated to America in 1949. This week I am reproducing two of these photographs. One shows John W. Kehoe’s public house in Offaly Street with five men standing outside. Second from left is the proprietor John W. himself who during the 1950s was chairman of the Geraldine Park Committee. He spearheaded many of the improvements which were made to Athy’s Gaelic football venue during his chairmanship of that committee. I cannot identify the other men in the photograph but perhaps readers of this weeks Eye will be able to do so.The other photograph was taken in 1943 and shows a number of youngsters who were then living in St. Patrick’s Avenue. From left at the back are Vinny Smyth, Joe Carroll, M. Keogh, Paddy Kelly, Vera Rafferty and Niall Smyth. In front are Joe Carroll, Liam Carroll, Mary Noonan, Frank McCarthy and C. Carroll.

In next weeks Eye on the Past I will tell the story of the Carroll family who once lived in St. Patricks Avenue.